Baofeng RD-5R DMR Radio

[pkveazey]

Baofeng has come out with a DMR version of the UV5r and it does everything except cook your breakfast. Its the RD-5R and only $75 and has all the features of the UV5R plus all the features you need for digital. It's T1 timeslot and T2 timeslot compatible and compatible with MOTOTURBO. I hate digital and it's got me wanting to try one. If nothing else, I could use it as a digital scanner to monitor digital public service stuff.

[JohnyMac]

BaoFeng's initial dive into the market of DMR was only Tier-1 which is great as only another BaoFeng DMR radio would be able to decode the encryption. This is a true benefit for the enemy not to listen in on your comms. With the addition of Tier-2 offering, I wonder if you can still use the specific encryption while in Tier-1 mode.

Now on another note: The use of comms among a 3-6 man FT (Fire Team) is STRONGLY discouraged for several reasons.

1) The enemy RDFing you.
2) You may not know that one or more of your team's comms failed to function till it is to late, and
3) The noise factor* of talking and receiving especially if your are using a 'Dogbone' or standard mic affixed to your
    shoulder strap.

ONE (1) person only, probably a dedicated radio guy/gal (RTO - Radio Telephone Operator,) should have comms to be used by the TL (Team Leader) to communicate back to the TOC (Tactical Operations Center). The RTO should always be connected to the TL like they are newlyweds.

Bottom-line, there is NO replacement for hand signals when out in the field with your FT.

* I learned this the hard way. We always use HT's (Handie Talkies) when hunting deer. We have a standard mic/click protocol to communicate - Never voice unless calling for help. One click means, on stand/yes. Two clicks mean no/negative. Three clicks be attentive/movement going towards you, etc.

Well two years ago, we loaned a radio to a guest up to the cabin for deer season. He got bored so he decided to not follow protocol and started to talk just as a nice 8-point buck was coming into range of my stand. Needless to say, the buck got nervous and split. 
   

[pkveazey]

BaoFeng's initial dive into the market of DMR was only Tier-1 which is great as only another BaoFeng DMR radio would be able to decode the encryption. This is a true benefit for the enemy not to listen in on your comms. With the addition of Tier-2 offering, I wonder if you can still use the specific encryption while in Tier-1 mode.

Now on another note: The use of comms among a 3-6 man FT (Fire Team) is STRONGLY discouraged for several reasons.

1) The enemy RDFing you.
2) You may not know that one or more of your team's comms failed to function till it is to late, and
3) The noise factor* of talking and receiving especially if your are using a 'Dogbone' or standard mic affixed to your
    shoulder strap.

ONE (1) person only, probably a dedicated radio guy/gal (RTO - Radio Telephone Operator,) should have comms to be used by the TL (Team Leader) to communicate back to the TOC (Tactical Operations Center). The RTO should always be connected to the TL like they are newlyweds.

Bottom-line, there is NO replacement for hand signals when out in the field with your FT.

* I learned this the hard way. We always use HT's (Handie Talkies) when hunting deer. We have a standard mic/click protocol to communicate - Never voice unless calling for help. One click means, on stand/yes. Two clicks mean no/negative. Three clicks be attentive/movement going towards you, etc.

Well two years ago, we loaned a radio to a guest up to the cabin for deer season. He got bored so he decided to not follow protocol and started to talk just as a nice 8-point buck was coming into range of my stand. Needless to say, the buck got nervous and split. 
 

Yes, you can use the Tier 1 protocol or the Tier 2 protocol. The RD-5R also does normal analog wide or narrow. What impressed me was the dual band part because most of the DMR  guys that I know have radios that are 440 only. As for stealth, I will use earpiece to eliminate radio noise exposure. As for the last part...... There is no cure for a dumbass. They're everywhere and they breed too.

[Kbop]

to add one more point to radio ops in general.
if you rely on them for tactical coordination, alerts and warnings - you can be susceptible to simple jamming techniques.
- example, jammer turned on (no noise noted on the receivers if done properly) The op begins and coordination during the ensuing attack can be difficult if you rely on radio comms only.

[gadget99]

I need to think about this a bit.

DMR capabilities might have a fit in our comms plans.

Speaking of digital radio stuff.

 Some of the British Army semi current radios are hitting Ebay over here.

They us the Selex Personal Role Radio H4855.

http://www.cryptomuseum.com/radio/selex/prr/index.htm

If notice is that these radios have a great amount of different abilities as well as operating in the 2.4ghz band. They are intentionally short range radios.

Worth looking at for info.

[JohnyMac]

Might be fun to pick up and play with. No price on the link though.

[Jackalope]

      It looks like the Baofeng DMR radio would be a good entry level digital radio.  I went with Dstar radios because they have more capabilities. With either the Icom or Kenwood Dstar radios I have the capability of sending either text, photos or map images on VHF or UHF frequencies when coupled with an android tablet.  Here's a short video by Comms Prepper about how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UqxvAw5uUo  Comms Prepper has a wide variety of videos showing different aspects of technology and how that technology can be used by preppers.

       The Kenwood Dstar radio has texting abilities without the need for an android tablet using APRS, plus all the other features of APRS.  The Dstar radio prices have started to come down, probably because the competition from Baofengs and other Chinese radios.

[gadget99]

Might be fun to pick up and play with. No price on the link though.

Hi JM

My apologies the link before was to a breakdown of the specs.

Here is an example eBay listing.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F162747488461

[pkveazey]

      It looks like the Baofeng DMR radio would be a good entry level digital radio.  I went with Dstar radios because they have more capabilities. With either the Icom or Kenwood Dstar radios I have the capability of sending either text, photos or map images on VHF or UHF frequencies when coupled with an android tablet.  Here's a short video by Comms Prepper about how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UqxvAw5uUo  Comms Prepper has a wide variety of videos showing different aspects of technology and how that technology can be used by preppers.

       The Kenwood Dstar radio has texting abilities without the need for an android tablet using APRS, plus all the other features of APRS.  The Dstar radio prices have started to come down, probably because the competition from Baofengs and other Chinese radios.

From what I read..... You can send and receive text on the RD-5R but the little dinky screen only supports 69 characters. I'm going to assume you can have it communicate with your computer via the data port that is used to program the radio and then do a lot more with text and photos. Whatever the RD-5R is capable of will certainly be explored by the Computer geeks out there in Ham Land. As Much as I DON"T like Digital Audio Radio and as much as I DO like Digital Text and Photo Radio, I would order one today, except this month is Homeowner's Insurance payment month and next month is Real Estate Taxes month, so I'll have to wait to see if I'm going to have an extra $75 afterwards to blow on a radio that I don't need but do want.